When I was young and ambitious… and naive…I somehow got a record deal with Warner Brothers records. This was something different. It was like winning the lottery. Or almost winning the lottery. I flew around a lot.

After a while I became very self-conscious and neurotic. And I really wanted to BE who these good people wanted me to be. But… I didn’t sell any records. And then we all mooned Chris Issak. Also Napster came and fired all the record guys and that was it, (I did make a second record for Warners that was never released).

So, tried again. Moved to california. Made a couple things and drove myself to New york AND BACK following some other band’s tour bus. Its what’s called ‘touring’ and its really hard when its just you. or me. Anyway, that was ridiculous and I didn’t want to spend my life that way anymore. I missed the earth so much, I missed my wife. it’s lonely out in space…

Moved back home to Texas. Floundered around a bit. Taught spanish. Had kids and took random jobs. Sometimes i’d put my antenna up and write down what I heard. sometimes i’d just open the door a little and everything would start falling on me. but, sometimes a G chord just sounded like a G chord.

Somewhere in there I made a movie with some friends called SIRONIA. It was a trip and I loved every minute of it. Acting was harder than I thought and really wish I could have a second shot at it. I feel like I “get it” now. But whatever. It was really fun to imagine something and see it created. Heady. And then the circus left. Again.

So, now a days…

I’m in a productive period artistically. Its been a good wave. Got with some pals in nashville one day last month and made ALASKA, (same dudes as C.I. mooning days). It was a joyous experience.

The feeling of that day. Of these 5 little songs, has opened something up for me. a new creative energy. Don’t know why. Or why now. Don’t know, but I love it when its on. I kept it off for years thinking that would make me happy. I work during the day. I do whatever. Last week me and my 12yr old built a fence for some friends of ours. I’m rehabbing a 100 yr old house i bought for nothing because it was literally falling over. We live really simply so I don’t need to make stupid money. Emilie’s in school and I get to hang out with my boys a lot. And in the “in between moments,” (like now, my kids are all plugged in..), I make music. I sing songs into my phone. and imagine them with new clothes on. I get lost in the cloud of a new song and that’s a splendid feeling.

And I make CDs for my friends and they say they like them and then I feel sad for some reason so I write more music. It’s like this; I played the new recordings for my 10 yr old. and I was watching his face and I was conducting the music as he sat there with head phones on and I was yelling,“Hear this part take off?!”, and I found myself beaming. That’s how I want to share music. If you like it for background music, thats fine, but I don’t relate to that.

Thats pretty much it. Thanks for listening to my music. I hope you feel happy and at peace when you listen to ALASKA. I mean it. I gotta go beat up some kids.

Wes Cunningham